Felissimo adds new “Tokyo Seeds” collection to its popular 500 Colored Pencils series

The Japanese mail order company’s new monthly pencil set release will undoubtedly have art lovers wanting to collect ’em all.

Whether you want to indulge your crafty side with kitty felt kits and origami bird pouches or wearable fried prawn sleeping bags, Japanese company Felissimo has you covered. When it comes to arty projects, Felissimo is also the place to go, especially for their hallmark 500 Colored Pencils series, which has sold over 100,000 sets worldwide since their release in 1992.

▼ The 500 Colored Pencils series, which are sure to elevate your impressions of colored pencils to the next level.

All of the pencils in the 500 Colored Pencils series are produced “by reservation, little by little at the hands of artisans.” Each high-quality pencil is 17.5 centimeters (6.9 inches) long with a 3.5 millimeter-thick lead inside, which is thicker than most colored pencils. Furthermore, each individual color is given a whimsical English name to add to the fun!

▼ A sampling of some of the whimsical names

Subscribers receive a themed palette of twenty pencils each month, so it takes 25 months to receive the whole collection of 500 pencils. Palettes may include fluorescent, metallic, or pastel colors, and each set also comes with a pencil case, information card, and craft paper. Some of the past themes have included such fun titles as “Happy Winter,” “Urban,” “Sweets,” “Fruitful,” “Wanderlust,” “Starlight,” and “Party.” You can check out the inspirational images behind these and other previously released palettes at Felissimo’s official Pinterest site.

▼ Here’s the underlying inspiration for sets number 2, 10, and 12 from the current line of the series.

Fans of the colored pencils will be ecstatic to learn that the recently announced fourth line of the series has been named “Tokyo Seeds,” and it willfeature colors designed by master craftsmen in Tokyo’s Katsushika and Arakawa Wards. Felissimo’s official site is now taking preorders in Japan for the first set of 20 pencils, scheduled to be released around late March, which is when the set will become available on their global website. Each monthly supply costs 2,808 yen (US$25) including tax. We’re certainly curious to find out what themed sets will await us in this new “Tokyo Seeds” line–perhaps it will be a good excuse to take a day off and sketch some Tokyo locales!